starwarsmushfandomcom-20200214-history
Gotal
Gotals were a species of tall, hairy humanoid sentients native to the moon Antar 4. Their most distinctive features were the twin conical horns growing on the top of their heads, which acted as highly responsive electromagnetic sensors. These head cones were sensitive enough to pick up subtle changes in another being's electromagnetic emissions from emotional changes, making Gotals natural empaths. The unique nature of these sensors shaped Gotal culture, and helped individual Gotals carve niches in galactic society ranging from bounty hunters to diplomats. Biology and appearance The Gotal species evolved on Antar 4, the mineral-rich fourth moon of the gas giant Antar in the Prindaar system. As the moon of a gas giant, Antar 4 was a world with a complex day/night cycle. Sometimes, one side of Antar 4 would be illuminated by the sun Prindaar, while the other received almost the same amount of light from the highly reflective surface of the gas giant Antar. At other times, Antar would block all sunlight to both hemispheres. As light was not always available there, Antarian animal life could not rely on sight as a primary sense. To compensate for this, the ancestors of the Gotals evolved cranial horns as receptors to sense electromagnetism and other energy emissions. These nerve-ending filled cones could sense the natural electromagnetic fields produced by Antar, Prindaar, and Antar 4's magnetite-rich crust. Their senses also picked up the electromagnetic auras from other life forms. Gotal hunters could sense their quarry from up to ten kilometers away, and could track herds of quivry for weeks. Gotal horns were even sensitive enough to pick up such indistinct signals as neutrino emissions. Electronic devices could also be sensed by Gotals: in fact, most droids gave off enough electromagnetic emissions to seriously disorient a Gotal. Gotals relied heavily on their cones, with their eyesight and hearing being quite weak, and their sense of smell almost completely absent. Though standard reference works such as the Catalog of Intelligent Life in the Galaxy were silent on the subject, some records indicate that Gotals may have been able to sense the Force with their cones. While the writings of Mammon Hoole described this as a rumor which had "yet to be proven, other sources indicate that both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Empire had conducted inconclusive research which attempted to train Gotals to sense the Force. The records of the Gotals themselves were split on the issue. Those sources which did describe Gotals sensing the Force varied in their descriptions. Some sources described it as an intense, overwhelming sensation, while others treated it as a mere "indistinct buzzing." At least one Jedi Knight, Luke Skywalker, believed that sensing the Force could cause Gotals headaches.12 Any ability to sense the use of the Force with their cones did not hinder Gotals who were Force-sensitive in the conventional sense from learning to use the Force, however. Gotals had flat faces with reddish eyes, small, flat noses, and shaggy fur covering most of their bodies. Their overall body plan was humanoid, with proportions generally similar to Humans. Both of their hands had four fingers and a thumb, with short, conical claws on each digit. Their skin color varied from gray-brown to black, and their fur came in shades of brown or gray. While male Gotals typically had a thick fringe of hair around their cheeks and chins, this was absent in female Gotals. Society and Culture Head cones in Gotal culture In addition to sensing energy emissions in their environment and the presence of their prey animals, Gotals used their cones to monitor subtle changes in one another's electromagnetic auras. This ability to quickly and easily judge another Gotal's emotional state was fundamental to their culture. For example, love at first "sight" was the norm among Gotals, whose empathic nature made the elaborate courtship rituals of other sentients unnecessary. Gotals only spoke to each other to relay abstract information, since they had no need to vocally express their emotions. (Ironically, since Gotals spoke in a non-inflected monotone, they seemed emotionless to Humans and other non-Gotals.) Young Gotals often had trouble assimilating the information arriving from their cones, and were in a constant state of agitated confusion until they learned to filter unwanted signals after about one standard year. Even then, it took them until the age of twelve to attain emotional maturity, and they could sometimes be nearly psychotic until then. Despite this, Gotal parents were devoted to their children, and young Gotals would have children as soon as they could manage it. Mature Gotals were generally calm and peaceful individuals. The ruthless Imperial era financier Sarlim Gastess was among the few Gotals whose cones were non-functional. Perhaps because of his inability to sense emotions, this "blind" Gotal was a fearsome psychopath by his people's standards. Horns were the primary physical feature Gotals found attractive in one another. In fact, while smaller cones could be just as energy sensitive as large ones, small-horned Gotals frequently enhanced their appearance with larger false cones. Some Gotals became romantically attached to non-Gotals, but they only seemed to be sexually attracted to other creatures with cones or horns on their heads. Government and society Since their natural empathy allowed made them instantly sensitive to the feelings of others, Gotals had little use for government or laws on their homeworld. This resulted in problems when dealing with non-Gotal societies. For example, no central authority figure could speak for Antar 4 as a whole in a crisis, and no organized Gotal military or police force could act on their behalf. The Gotal Foreign Affairs Commune, a group which existed circa 22 BBY, did act as spokespeople for the Gotals during diplomatic crises, but their role in Gotal government is otherwise uncertain. Though they had little government of their own, Gotals did send representatives to participate in galactic-level governments, and Gotals living among non-Gotals even worked in local government bureaucracies. Typical Gotal names Gotal naming customs varied. While many Gotals had a first name and a second name such as "Abav Ghart" or "Mnor Nha", others went by single names like "Tuuve." Other Gotals used names such as "To-yel" or "Mahk'khar", which may have been either single names or a first and second name joined together as one word. Special Abilities Energy Sensitivity: Because Gotals are unusually sensitive to radiation emissions, they receive a +3D to their search skill when hunting targets in wide open areas of up to 10 61 kilometers around them. In crowded areas, such as towns and cities, the bonus drops to +1D, and the range drops to less than one kilometer. In areas with intense radiation, they suffer a -1D penalty to search because their senses are overwhelmed by radiation static. Mood Detection: By reading the auras and moods of others, Gotals receive a positive or negative bonus when engaging in interactive skills with other characters. The Gotals makes a moderate Perception check and adds the following bonus to his Perception skills when making opposed rolls for the rest of that encounter: Rolls Misses Difficulty By/Penalty 6+/-3D 2-5/-2D 1/-1D Roll Beats Difficulty By/Bonus 0-7/1D 8-14/2D 15+/3D Fast Initiative: Gotals who are not suffering from radiation static receive a +1D when rolling initiative against non-Gotal opponents. This is due to their ability to read the emotions and intentions of others. Story Factors Droid Hate: Gotals dislike droids because the emissions produced by droids overwhelm their special senses. They receive a -1D to all Perception-based skill rolls when within three meters of a droid. Reputation: Because of the Gotal’s reputation as being overly sensitive to moods and feelings, other species are uncomfortable dealing with them. Assign modifiers as appropriate. Category:Races